If It's Too Loud...

The Van Pelt are one of those bands I remember from my college radio years, but mostly more in name than anything else. But, that's the way it seems to be with legendary indie rock bands. The New York City band are set to release their first new album in twenty six years, and there's a new single we can check out from that album. "Image of Health" is just pure post-rock and post-hardcore. I seem to remember The Van Pelt getting lumped in with a lot of late 90's emo bands, but "Image of Health" is much more along the lines of Mogwai and Slint than The Promise Ring. This is spoken word over some of the most lovely indie guitar rock you've heard in years, and it sounds like it could have come straight off 1997's Sultans of Sentiment. It may be a little slower and more mellow than The Van Pelt were in their heyday, but not by much. Frontman Chris Leo says of his band's new music: "I'm a middle-aged man now. Straightforward, cutting to th...

The latest press release for Public Serpents refers to them as "New Jersey crust-ska punks," and that might be my new favorite band description of the year. The band is lead by Skwert Gunn (ex-Choking Victim) and just released a new single, "When Pigs Lie." This new song sounds a little more like traditional ska punk than the previous "Not Forever," but it's definitely a little more rough around the edges. Most ska is bright sounding and positive, but Public Serpents just sound grimy. This is ska that has seen some shit. And you can assume this one isn't about farm animals. You can watch the video for "When Pigs Lie" below. The Bully Puppet is due out March 24 on SBAM Records. For more on Public Serpents, check out the band's website .

Lately more and more clubs seem to be opening in the distant suburbs of Boston. The latest is The Overlook at Mill No. 5 in Lowell. Mill No. 5 is a refurbished mill building with condos, an arthouse theater, restaurants, shops, and now a brand new music venue. I always want to check out new venues as soon as possible, so luckily for me they brought in Tysk Tysk Task for a show right away. Subpunch opened the show, and this was my first experience with the Lowell band. The trio play a version of punk/emo that is more geared towards early, artier emo. Their music is more 90's alt rock than early 00's emo/pop punk. I got a very distinct Jawbreaker meets Dinosaur Jr with a little The Promise Ring sprinkled in sound from them. There is also a poetic element to their songs than you typically get. Songs like "Mouth Full" and "Witness Tree" are top shelf emo. Subpunch are a band we're going to be keeping an eye on. I discovered Circus Trees over the summer at Ni...

Chamber metal might not be a genre you'd associate with If It's Too Loud..., when Anareta do it, it just works for us. The New Orleans based band recently released a new single, "Unforgiving Sun," that is undeniably theatrical. In my experience, strings being included in a metal song tend to be more of a novelty. With Anareta, it somehow adds to the heaviness of the song, and this song is plenty heavy without them. Of course, with "Unforgiving Sun," you can't imagine the song without them. It's just such an integral part of the song. Anareta have made a song perfect for all metalheads, and the pure creativity is going to suck in even those who aren't. The band says of their new single: "' Unforgiving Sun'  is inspired by the interminable summers of New Orleans; the air thickens, tourism slows to a trickle, storefronts shutter. The sun-soaked blacktop radiates heat long past dusk's false promise of respite. As this song opens we l...

Photo via Faebook I've been a fan of Aaron Perrino's musical projects for decades now, from The Sheila Divine to Dear Leader to his latest, Aaron & the Lord. I can definitely say that he's never quite sounded like he does on Aaron & the Lord's latest. "Lilydale" is a dark and foreboding alt-rock sound. It might not get fully goth, but this new song rubs right against that level of brooding. The only thing stopping it from becoming a goth anthem is there's just enough of a 90's alt-rock vibe. It's an absolutely gorgeous song that can be downright uncomfortable at times. "Lilydale" is a great song that has us curious what Aaron & the Lord have planned for us next. You can watch the video for "Lilydale" below. The song will be included on the forthcoming album We are the Darkness. We are the Light. For more on Aaron & the Lord, check out the band on Facebook .

Photo by Stephanie Houten One thing we love about the singles we've heard from Prateek's upcoming album is how diverse they've been. "Diamonds" was a mix of folk, blues, soul, and early R&B, while "You're Still On My Mind" was soul/jazz hybrid. His latest, "No Fun," is an amped up and rollicking take on country/blues/rock. This is such a surprising turn in an album of surprising turns. The obvious joke here is that Prateek has made an incredibly fun song about not being any fun. But "No Fun" is an absolute blast of a song. This one goes deep into some ZZ Top and Tom Petty territory with an absolutely killer guitar solo in the bridge, and we are completely here for it. You can listen to "No Fun" below. Til June is due out in the spring. For more on Prateek, check out the artist's website .

Based in Western Massachusetts, Kimaya Diggs is one of the most interesting voices in the current neo-soul scene. Her latest single, "If You Love Me," doesn't have the bombast you typically get with soul. Instead, the song is this ultra laid back song that is a whole vibe just by itself. This is more of an indie soul sound, almost bordering on being twee. The video shows Diggs and her band playing together in what looks like a finished basement, and that's what "If You Love Me" sounds like. This feels much more intimate and has a bit of a DIY feel to it. Kimaya Diggs has taken something familiar and timeless and made it her own. You can watch the video for "If You Love Me" below. Quincy is due out March 9, and can be pre-saved here . For more on Kimya Diggs, check out the artist's website . She's playing an album release show on March 11 at The Drake in Amherst, MA. Tickets for that can be found here .

Photo by Tom van Huisstede Hailing from the Netherlands, Iguana Death Cult make a truly unique blend of post punk. Their latest single, "Sensory Overload," is both the angry, aggressive form of post punk and the dance party kind. It's almost like frontman Jeroen Reek forgot to tell his backing singers that he was going to be angry, so they decided to go the good times route. Plus, the song has a sense of funky psychedelia and some of the most intense saxophone out there. "Sensory Overload" lives up to that name while still being a fantastically fun listen. Iguana Death Cult say of their new song: "Scrolling up and down my feed, I literally feel like I’m traveling back and forth through space and time sometimes: since down is up and up is down and reality is starting to feel like a joke - which is making me very, very anxious. We wrote quite the jittery tune to compliment the manic lyrics which are more or less heavily distorted flutters of consciousness. To...

Photo by Jessica Calvo Blues albums can be great, but live blues albums always seem to be the best. It makes sense that GA-20's upcoming album would be a live one. The Boston blues rock trio are a powerhouse of a live act, and that just can't be recreated in a studio. The latest single off of the album is "By My Lonesome," and it captures the energy and oomph of a GA-20 live performance. You get the feeling that the guitar is threatening to escape the confines of the song at any moment, but keeps getting reeled back in by the drums. This is a really fun one, and shows why GA-20 are quickly becoming one of the favorites in the current blues scene. Guitarist Matthew Stubbs says of the upcoming live album: “There is a special type of energy that is exchanged when we play in front of a live audience, and we definitely feed off of that and wanted to capture that. I love the power and energy of the best live blues albums. Historically, some of the most iconic blues and jazz...

I absolutely adored Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno's debut album back in 2021. It hit that perfect sweet spot for me of being a modern take on traditional folk. Since it was released in March of that year, I had been waiting for them to make it up to New England, but either they hadn't, or I completely missed it. (Could be either, it's been a weird two years.) As soon as I saw they had a few local dates, I knew I had to make it to one, and you just can't miss go wrong when it's at the legendary Club Passim. I had high expectations for the show, but once they started their set with "Will You," I knew they would be exceeded. Leva and Calcagno were at such ease playing together and are just naturally charismatic performers that it didn't quite feel like watching friends play music on a back porch... but it also didn't quite feel like a formal performance. It was somewhere in between, like we were all watching something truly special just for us. Songs...

Photo by Ginger Port Mediocre started out in Los Angeles but are now Boston based. The duo have a new single out, "To Know You're Screwed is to Know a Lot." The new song is this great mix of indie rock and pop. It's a fast paced and bounce filled song that might be just a wee bit too cheery to be punk, although there is more than a little punk attitude in this one. This one is reminding me a lot of a middle ground Veruca Salt that lands somewhere between their lo-fi roots and the stadium rocking songs they ended up doing. "To Know You're Screwed is to Know a Lot" is just a fun and fuzzed out indie rocker, and Mediocre could end up becoming one of your favorite Boston bands if they keep this up! You can watch the video for "To Know You're Screwed is to Know a Lot" below. To Know You're Screwed is due out April 7 on Dangerbird Recordings. The EP can be pre-ordered here . For more on Mediocre, check out the band on Instagram and Twitter ....

Photo by Bob Sweeney Screaming Females have their new album out tomorrow, but since we can't wait just one more day to hear it, they've released a new single from Desire Pathway . "Mourning Dove" is exactly what we want from the New Jersey trio in 2023. Sure, they've slowed down a little bit, and it's more poppy than we would have expected from the band back in 2009, but this is a band coming up on their twentieth year, so that is expected. "Mourning Dove" might sound a bit more radio friendly these days, but Screaming Females haven't lost a step or any of that edge. There is still Marissa Paternoster's biting guitar, and her solos just keep getting better and better. At a time where most of their peers are slowing down, Screaming Females are just getting better. Marissa Paternoster says of the band's new song: "It is seldom that any Screaming Females song is about just one thing. Mourning Dove is the only exception that I can really...

Photo by Alysse Gafkjen I've been a fan of Ben Folds for a long, long time. I first saw Ben Folds Five way back in 1996 at Mama Kin in Boston for the whopping ticket price of $5.00. I'm visible in the DVD that came with Live back in 2002. But, his more recent releases have been hit or miss with me. It's been eight years since he released an album, and now Folds is back with an upcoming album. The first single from that album, "Winslow Gardens," is exactly what I want from Folds in 2023. It may not have the same edge that his music did in 1996, but I certainly don't, either. This is a piano focused (obviously) pop track that is pure Adult Contemporary magic. It has just the right amount of Folds' humor while still being a serious song about isolating with a loved one. If you've fallen off the Ben Folds bandwagon, "Winslow Gardens" is a great jumping back on point. Ben Folds says of his upcoming album: “I come from the vinyl era, and this perha...

Photo by Cristina Fisher The Art of Forgetting is shaping up to be Caroline Rose's masterpiece. If last month's "Miami" didn't convince you of that, "The Doldrums" will. This new song is a synth heavy dreamlike meditation. The term hypnotic gets thrown a lot in regards to music, but "The Doldrums" encapsulates that term perfectly. Calling a song hypnotic usually implies a certain level of calm to describe the song, but Rose's latest is anything but calm. Quiet, yes, but there is an underlying sense of anxiety throughout this one. The song might be beautiful, but there is an unexpected anxiety in "The Doldrums." Caroline Rose says of their new song: “‘The Doldrums’ was the song I wrote when I was realizing I had basically no understanding of self-compassion. It’s about the voice inside my head that blames me for everything that’s ever gone wrong, mostly things out of my control. My idea of rebirth and reformation at the time was ki...

Photo by Bug Carrasco There are a lot of artists doing the classic country thing these days, but Dougie Poole is doing it just a little differently. The Brooklyn artist's latest single, "Beth David Cemetey," has all of the twang required for an old time country sound, but Poole just sounds a little... different. The song has a little bit of Brooklyn indie rock in it. While most classic sounding country sounds Southern, "Beth David Cemetery" sounds more Northern. It might sound impossible for a country song to sound this Big City, but this one does.  Dougie Poole says of the new song: "Beth David is the cemetery in Queens where my Mom’s side of the family is buried. I’ve lost a lot of people in the past 10 years or so - not just family, friends too. Maybe that’s just what getting older feels like. Adding names to a list that only gets longer. So I wanted to write a joyful, messy, kinda boozy, kinda hungover song about going to a funeral. I wanted to capture ...